Bibliography
- Associated Press (Producer). (2015). Solar plane gears up for round world trip [Streaming video]. Retrieved from Associated Press Video Collection database.
This video from the Associated Press (AP) traces the beginning of the historic journey of the world’s first solar airplane to travel 505 days and 26,000 miles. Weighing at 2.4 tons, this airplane had a wingspan of 235 ft covered in more than 17,000 solar cells. The video was helped guide our thinking on ongoing innovations in the area of solar energy and solar power. - Chasteen, Stephanie, and Rima Chaddha. “Saved by the Sun | Inside a Solar Cell.” NOVA, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/solar/insi-nf.html.
Given that smartflower generates energy using 12 photovoltaic panels, it was imperative for us to understand how solar cells work. In addition to providing helpful visual depictions, this article describes the anatomy of a solar cell and explains how its silicon layers produce electricity to power a house. - CLEVELAND, M., & DURKAY, J. (2018). PLUGGED INTO SOLAR: New solar energy developments are fueling local economies and providing jobs for thousands. State Legislatures, 44(2), 12-15.
The report highlights the changes in the solar power production market. First, it talks about how consumers who live in shared homes or shaded roofs but are looking to invest in solar power have the option to participate in a ‘Community-Scale’ solar project. This project permits users to invest in solar roof panels that are installed in community spaces or areas with large roofs. Investors receive a return based on the structure of return. Challenges exist, but 17 states (including Washington, DC) have permitted such community solar projects.Secondly, the report talks about the increase in job opportunities across various spectrums, such as installation, manufacturing, sales and distribution, and project development of solar power projects. The 2016 Solar Foundation report states that there are 260,077 solar jobs nationwide – just in the US. With the community project in the nascent stage, consumers and policymakers are both looking to ease the launch of such projects for the future. - Darcey, Melissa. “Ground vs. Rooftop-Mounted Solar Panels.” Solar Power Authority, 1 Sept. 2016, www.solarpowerauthority.com/ground-mounted-versus-rooftop-mounted-solar-panels/.
This article informed our understanding of strengths and weaknesses of both ground- and rooftop-mounted solar panels. As a key aspect of our project was comparing smartflower with these conventional systems, it was informative to learn about how they work. For both types of systems, this author outlines the costs, space requirements, aesthetics, positioning, and cleaning and maintenance specifications. - Dougherty, Charles. Telephone Interview. 18 Apr. 2018.
Charles R. Dougherty is the Chief Operating Officer of SmartFlower North America LLC. Speaking with someone directly from the company was extremely useful in verifying much of our research regarding the vision, cost, and clientele of smartflower. Mr. Dougherty confirmed that smartflower has gained interest from both residential and commercial customers and described how awareness of the product has grown over the past few years. - “Frequently Asked Questions.” SmartFlower North America. (PDF File)
This PDF file was shared with us directly from the sales branch at SmartFlower North America. This document provides practical information for potential customers. It details how smartflower functions in extreme weather conditions – knowledge which was helpful for us as we compared the product to traditional rooftop panels. This information confirmed that, although smartflower was uniquely designed with aesthetics in mind, care was still given to creating a product that is resilient in various weather conditions, allowing for purchase by customers from a variety of geographic locations and climates. It also shares pertinent information on installation and permitting, energy production, and warranties and maintenance, confirming that the convenience of smartflower does not stop at the architecture of the product, but encompasses the entire process from purchasing to maintaining. - Kabir, Ehsanul. 02/01/2018. Solar energy: Potential and future prospects., Renewable & sustainable energy reviews, 82, 894 – 900-900. (ISSN: 1364-0321).
The article presents factual information on the amount of solar energy received by the earth (i.e., around 342 W m−2, of which ca. 30% is scattered or reflected back to space, leaving ca. 70% [239 W m−2] available for harvesting and capture). It also included information about the sunniest places on earth and their potential for solar energy generation. Moreover, the article spoke to the limitations of solar power, such as high installation costs, issues arising from dust that impact performance of the silicon cells, and large space requirements. However, it also spoke about future prospects and provided an example of how researchers at MIT are working to develop cells that could combine different heat-absorbing materials to harness more solar energy. - Pauschitz, Christoph. Solar Power Module. SmartFlower Energy Technology GmbH, assignee. Patent US D755,120 S. 3 May 2016.
This file from the United States Patent and Trademark Office provides a magnified view of smartflower’s swivel and fanning mechanism. smartflower’s biaxial tracking capability is one of its key differentiators, enabling its panels to tilt and rotate based on instructions from its control box to maintain alignment with the sun. It was therefore necessary for us to accurately capture this intricate and imperative part of the device in our architecture diagram and poster. - “Renewable Energy.” Sustainability at Georgetown University, Georgetown University, sustainability.georgetown.edu/renewables.
We used the information in this section of the Georgetown University website to prepare for our interview with Mark Manning, Assistant Director of Georgetown’s Utilities and Energy Program. This webpage provided us with links to useful details on the university’s past, present and future solar initiatives, both onsite and offsite. Through this site, we also learned about Georgetown’s use of green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates, as well as renewable portfolio standards in the Washington, DC area. - “SmartFlower North America Presents A Continuing Education Program.” SmartFlower North America, Mar. 2018. (PowerPoint Presentation)
We also received this PowerPoint presentation directly from SmartFlower North America. This deck provided us with multiple statistics on solar energy production and opportunities for its expanded usage. It also helped us to better understand the federal investment tax credit through which smartflower users can deduct up to 30 percent of the cost of implementing the device. The presentation contained helpful technical specs, as well as several images that SmartFlower North America generously permitted us to use for our website. - SmartFlower Solar: The Back Story. SmartFlower North America, 24 Aug. 2017, smartflowersolar.com/blog/smartflower-solar-back-story/.
The history of how and why smartflower was created is key to understanding the goals and visions of the company. This article explains how smartflower was intentionally created to offer conveniences that traditional solar systems do not afford, and how it was designed with consideration of aesthetics – something for which solar technologies are generally not known. From the beginning, the goal of smartflower has not only been about sustainable energy solutions, but also about providing a product that is convenient and attractive. - “Smartflower – the World’s First All-in-One Solar System.” Smartflower Pacific, https://www.smartflowerpacific.com/downloads/brochure.pdf. (PDF Brochure)
With a massive amount of graphics and visual content, this PDF brochure highlights how smartflower is an all-in-one solar energy generating system. It shows the inner components, and architecture, as well as smartflower’s significance within society. It also provides statistical information, such as how much power smartflower generates per day and its size. - Stoeger, Elmar, Alexander Swatek, and Gerald Zach. Swivel and Fanning Drive for Solar Panels. SmartFlower Energy Technology GmbH, assignee. Patent WO 2017/054026 A1. 6 Apr. 2017.
This patent filed through the World Intellectual Property Organization explains how smartflower’s swivel and fanning drive works. We used the patent abstract to inform our architecture description, referencing several introductory engineering websites (linked here and here) to understand the concept of a four-bar linkage. - WEATHERHEAD, E. C., & CLACK, C. M. (2017). SOLAR RENEWABLE ENERGY. Bulletin Of The American Meteorological Society, 98(1), 19-22.
This article provided technical information on solar cells, such as the amount of energy generated depending on variations in temperature and the study of intensive radiation sites such as the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and Surface Radiation (SURFRAD). Additionally, the article highlighted how solar panels are being installed in areas with smaller populations and using mirroring technologies to collect more solar radiation and improve solar cell efficiency. - What Is a Solar Inverter & How Does It Work? (2013, April 18). Retrieved March 6, 2018, from https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2013/04/how-do-solar-inverters-work/.
This webpage describes what an inverter is and what the inverter does in a solar generating system. It provides substantial relevant information about Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). It explains that the main function of an inverter is to convert DC to AC, which is the standard form of power for appliances. The page then further introduces functions of the inverter other than converting current.
